New edition: Europäische Aktiengesellschaft SE
The second edition of the commentary Europäische Aktiengesellschaft SE has just been released. The book was produced by a collaboration of experienced specialists, and includes substantial contributions from well-known lawyers at Graf von Westphalen, each of whom has years of practical experience in the area of European employment, company and tax law.
European corporate law has developed significantly since the introduction of the European company (or societas europaea), which rendered it necessary to revise the previous edition of the commentary.
Christof Kleinmann worked together with Karsten Kujath to edit the employment law chapter on the Directive supplementing the Statute for a European company with regard to the involvement of employees (SE Directive), as well as the section on European Works Councils (EWCs). Dr Malte Evers wrote the employment law chapter on the formation and composition of workers' unions, and also collaborated with Dr Jan T Hartmann to comment on the key standard envisaged by the Act on the Participation of Employees in a European Company (SE-Beteiligungsgesetz - SEBG) in relation to the conclusion of employee participation agreements.
Tax adviser and lawyer Prof Michael Preißer provided a detailed analysis of the taxation of European companies, thus demonstrating that our lawyers have an excellent understanding of contemporary developments, particularly when it comes to SEs.
The practical significance of the SE continues to grow, with companies such as Allianz, Fresenius, Porsche, MAN and Linde all exploiting the benefits of the societas europaea. In addition to the Transparency, Markets in Financial Instruments, Shareholders' Rights and Cross-Border Mergers Directives, there is a multitude of new rulings by both the European Court of Justice and the national courts concerning companies who relocate their headquarters from one European state to another. There is growing trend towards cross-border transactions based on European legal norms, which, in turn, has had repercussions for SEs.
Furthermore, there was also a great deal of legislative activity during the sixteenth German parliamentary session in respect of corporate and tax law. These developments and implications are seized upon by the new edition of the commentary. One visible change is the fact that employment law is now dealt with - as is the case in practice - by reference to the SEBG as opposed to the SE Directive. All of the other chapters have also undergone a thorough revision, although the contributors have ensured that the handbook remains as practically-oriented as possible.
"This technically well-equipped book, for which the publisher has set a comparatively low price, will no doubt prove to be an essential guide, even if the SE itself has not become a hit just yet."
Prof Fritz Rittner on the previous edition (JZ 23/05)
The 2010 second edition of Europäische Aktiengesellschaft SE is published by Nomos Verlag (ISBN: 978-3-8329-5548-9). Further information is available here .